Potato Dwarf Prickly Pear

(aka: Opuntia debreczyi, Opuntia fragilis var. denudata) To borrow some 1970s lingo, you've gotta check out this pad. We usually don't use the word cute to describe a prickly pear cactus, but Opuntia 'Potato' is the exception. This Western Colorado form of the dwarf Opuntia fragilis forms a tightly clustering clump of thumb-sized spineless pads, eventually forming a 3" tall x 2' wide patch. This tremendous rock garden specimen also takes on a lovely winter blush of purple in cold weather. Opuntia 'Potato' is grown for its foliage and form, but it also occasionally produces bright yellow flowers in late spring.